Before the Dawn
by Koi no Soshan
Summary: Mukashi Tales. Ficlets exploring the characters and events of AE. NEWEST: During the hottest parts of the day, Seto's mother would call him in to study.
1. Never Prosper

**Introduction:** Because I've been writing so many drabbles for my Mukashi Tales series (short ficlets exploring the characters and events of AE), I decided to start piling them together in one 'story' for posting here at FFN. On my Livejournal there's no problem posting them separately, but here, the listing of stories on our profiles doesn't develop new pages- it just goes on and on. If I add too many fics, eventually my profile will start killing some readers' browsers (including my own when it's in a bad mood!). I'm still going to post many loose drabbles, but this is a way to save at least a little bit of profile space while still posting the stories from this series to FFN.

=o= =o=

**Title:** Never Prosper

**Summary:** The Tomb Keepers might not prosper within their darkened chambers, but they will survive.

**Pairing(s): **None.

**Notes:** This particular drabble was written for the seventh challenge, Dark, of the Livejournal community YGO Drabble (ygodrabble).

**Disclaimer:** Yuugiou (Yu-Gi-Oh!, Yu-Gi-Oh! Duel Monsters) is the property of Takahashi Kazuki and respective publishers, including Shueisha, Studio Gallop, Nihon Ad Systems, Toei Animation, 4Kids, and others. I would never claim to own it or attempt to make money off of it- just think of this as a written, free doujinshi and hopefully we'll get along fine ;)

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**Never Prosper**

**-o-**

Dust swirls about her, though she cannot see it. It is hidden by thick shadows, but there in the heavy, stale air, the slight burn in her nose. She stands still, trying to accustom herself to the lightless chamber.

It is difficult at first. After the battles they have been through, she doubts that any of her companions can look on the darkness entirely favorably. The darkness hides many dangers, after all, vicious spirits and demons which seek to steal away all that is precious to them. And there is no protective charm strong enough to hold them off entirely.

But now it will serve a different purpose. In this case, Re's light is harmful to them- it both burns and causes growth, and to those who wait without change for years untold, this is intolerable. Within these darkened hallways, there is no light to bring growth, and no passage for wars or trade or any of the other foreign influences which wreak havoc on the shape of the world above. They must remain, intact and knowledge still with them, until the day their Pharaoh returns. This retreat will serve them well, so that one day they can again serve their Pharaoh well.

Aishisu's clan might not be able to prosper here, but they will survive.


	2. Inherited Dreams

**Title:** Inherited Dreams

**Summary:** During the hottest parts of the day, Seto's mother would call him in to study.

**Pairing(s):** None.

**Notes:** Written for the eighth challenge, Weather, of the Livejournal community YGO Drabble (ygodrabble).

**Disclaimer:** Yuugiou (Yu-Gi-Oh!, Yu-Gi-Oh! Duel Monsters) is the property of Takahashi Kazuki and respective publishers, including Shueisha, Studio Gallop, Nihon Ad Systems, Toei Animation, 4Kids, and others. I would never claim to own it or attempt to make money off of it- just think of this as a written, free doujinshi and hopefully we'll get along fine ;)**  
**

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**Inherited Dreams**

**-o-**

In the village there was always a great deal of work to be done, but at midday the heat would send most searching for cover. This was also when Seto's mother would insist that he leave his chores (_and hobble that wild horse of yours, **please**_), and come inside for lessons.

"I will not have it said that my son can be bested by a lazy scribe who looks down his nose at others," she would say, and set him to copy down memorized prayers and spells (_in hieroglyphs as well as hieratic, you're a good enough artist to be able to draw them quickly_).

Seto would dutifully do so, all the while listening to more lessons, learning of the ways of priests, of the court, of the noble families which, by now, he'd realized that his mother must have originally been one of. His father was a great soldier who had died in battle, doing everything he could to protect his kingdom, and Seto would grow up to be just like him…though perhaps not a soldier. Kaa-san always insisted that he was too intelligent, clearly too talented in magic (_you have already surpassed the petty magicians here, Seto; you have nothing more to learn from them_), to be anything but a priest.

Now, all the midday heat can do is bear down on a set of ruins. There are survivors, but too few to rebuild, and they are scattering, finding new places to forge new lives in. They have friends and family who will take them in elsewhere, after all.

Seto doesn't even have his horse, the feral horse he had caught and tamed all by himself, but he won't allow that to hold him back. He doesn't resent the loss, and only hopes that that girl found her way to safety on him. If they're lucky, maybe they'll meet again one day.

But for now, he tries to ignore the heat as he says his farewells. He has to leave, and he has to look towards the future which he can control. His mother had always been determined to prevent whatever misfortune had befallen her from holding him back, and she has ensured that it never will. Now, with Kaa-san passed from this world, it is left to Seto to ensure that her dreams will be fulfilled.


End file.
